Buy Silver status for another year [BA offer]
Oct 23, 2009, 5:07 am
#32
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 117
I have not received the invitation, but I currently have 580 tier points and will have qualified for Silver once again after my next flight coming up soon. It would be interesting to find out who has been targeted to receive the invitation. Is it existing Silver members who currently have around 400 tier points, or those whose current and existing bookings through to the end of their membership year indicate they will finish the year at 400 tier points?
At the end of my last membership year I was just shy of 1,500 tier points - I would have paid a fee to close the gap and qualify for gold then had it been offered.
At the end of my last membership year I was just shy of 1,500 tier points - I would have paid a fee to close the gap and qualify for gold then had it been offered.
Oct 23, 2009, 5:18 am
#33
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
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But if you were just shy of the 1500 points needed, and would have been willing to pay a fee, why didn’t you just do a quick TP Run?
Oct 23, 2009, 5:37 am
#34
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 117
That would have been an option to bring me up to Gold, Clubman, but I have so far resisted taking flights solely for the purpose of earning tier points. All the tier points on my account each year are a result of travel for other purposes. If I get close again this year, I may do as you suggest, given the greater distinction now between Gold and Silver.
Oct 23, 2009, 5:38 am
#35
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: MEL
Programs: QF, VA, VN, BA, SQ, KC - all reds and blues.
Posts: 3,205
Oct 23, 2009, 6:01 am
#36
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Oct 23, 2009, 6:01 am
#37
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 623
Ah, yes,I think you're right. My Irony Incoming Detector was set to Passive mode!
Oct 23, 2009, 6:04 am
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
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If that were to happen, then perhaps coach-flying BA Silvers departing on BA flights from LHR T3 would make a dash for the AA, CX or JL lounges when having a guest there?
Oct 23, 2009, 6:10 am
#39
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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Maybe I'm just easy, but what is the problem? If BA wants to generate extra cash to stay afloat I'd rather they come up with stuff like this than things that will actually hurt the service.
Is this 'large company bashing' fashionable nowadays? Is this a new form of populism? (It really follows the same principles)
Is this 'large company bashing' fashionable nowadays? Is this a new form of populism? (It really follows the same principles)
Oct 23, 2009, 6:36 am
#40
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
AA have also been doing it for the last few years. IIRC you can't buy up to a level, you can only pay to stay at a level you've already achieved. I've no idea how many people take up the offer but I suspect it's about keeping top tier FF's rather than any significant revenue generation.
Oct 23, 2009, 6:40 am
#41
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
Bearing in mind I am neither BA silver nor gold (a mere OWE with another carrier), I don't really like the idea but I also think the price is high enough to keep it somewhat exclusive.
I would certainly not like to see BA introducing something similar to Qantas Club (which, to me, is far too cheap, especially for some corporate memberships). Thankfully it's not too bad now that they have a separate domestic Business lounge at their major domestic airports (only accessible to business class passengers and their platinums and OWEs), but their domestic "Qantas Club" lounges used to turn into a complete zoo at times.
I would certainly not like to see BA introducing something similar to Qantas Club (which, to me, is far too cheap, especially for some corporate memberships). Thankfully it's not too bad now that they have a separate domestic Business lounge at their major domestic airports (only accessible to business class passengers and their platinums and OWEs), but their domestic "Qantas Club" lounges used to turn into a complete zoo at times.
Oct 23, 2009, 6:49 am
#42
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SOU
Programs: It's better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all
Posts: 869
Depending on what you want out of Silver membership, there may be a better way.
For £495, you can buy Qantas Club membership which will get you into BA lounges any time you fly BA, and probably still have some cash left over to go towards a mileage/TP run. And that's just the first-year cost, because there's a hefty joining fee. If you strip out the joining fee, the recurrent annual cost of lounge access is actually quite reasonable.
Of course, you don't get the other perks of Silver membership. Now, someone please remind me, what did they use to be?
For £495, you can buy Qantas Club membership which will get you into BA lounges any time you fly BA, and probably still have some cash left over to go towards a mileage/TP run. And that's just the first-year cost, because there's a hefty joining fee. If you strip out the joining fee, the recurrent annual cost of lounge access is actually quite reasonable.
Of course, you don't get the other perks of Silver membership. Now, someone please remind me, what did they use to be?
Have used at T5 successfully with guest and will look to renew as long as I fly BA.
Oct 23, 2009, 10:33 am
#43
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci. And BA Gold – previous awards - Gold 11, Silver 7, Bronze 4.
Posts: 4,235
Why not sell points instead?
I think that they could sell points in the same way as they sell miles. There would be an annual limit as well.
So let's say that the annual limit was say 100 points for say £150. This would allow people to 'top up' their points to keep Silver. But I would retain the need to get the other 500 points from flights (and the 4 flights on BA metal).
Views?
So let's say that the annual limit was say 100 points for say £150. This would allow people to 'top up' their points to keep Silver. But I would retain the need to get the other 500 points from flights (and the 4 flights on BA metal).
Views?
Oct 23, 2009, 10:51 am
#44
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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I think that they could sell points in the same way as they sell miles. There would be an annual limit as well.
So let's say that the annual limit was say 100 points for say £150. This would allow people to 'top up' their points to keep Silver. But I would retain the need to get the other 500 points from flights (and the 4 flights on BA metal).
Views?
So let's say that the annual limit was say 100 points for say £150. This would allow people to 'top up' their points to keep Silver. But I would retain the need to get the other 500 points from flights (and the 4 flights on BA metal).
Views?
Oct 23, 2009, 10:55 am
#45
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
Another option BA could borrow from AA would be to pre-sell travel. From memory the way the AA scheme works is you pay $20 or $25k up front for travel in the coming year, in return for which they give you imediate Emerald status. You burn off the dollars as you travel, but lose the balance if you don't use it all. Of course they'll gladly sell you more tickets if you spend more than the balance. I believe you get status for the second year so you're fine if you regularly travel enough to maintain Emerald, which I suppose would make this a good transition to BA since they're reluctant to status match.